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I finally acknowledged that the new millennium is upon us, and that one needn’t drive around with an inferior car stereo system! I have a humble set of wheels (2005 Volvo S60), but decided to put in some high-end gear — including a Pioneer AVIC-8200NEX head unit and a bunch of amazing sounding electronics and speakers from world-renowned Kicker Audio. But that’s not even the best part….

The “kicker” (if you will) was meeting and doing business with a thorough professional, and even more impressive human being, David Pichon, owner and operator of Sound Doctor 911 in Camarillo. Dave is one of those people who strike you right away as forthright and honest, an especially good quality to have when you are helping people with matters that are generally beyond their level of expertise. He will tell you exactly what you should install, what suits your budget best — then execute in a timely and flawless fashion.

All that, a crack installation staff and a hygienically clean workspace instill confidence in Pichon and company, but once you get to talking with the boss, you realize he is not just a coldhearted businessman, but a conscious and conscientious member of the Camarillo/Ventura community at large. He is also an avid golfer involved in numerous charity events that benefit youth organizations in the area.

Good guy, great customer service and amazing attention to detail — that was my experience with Sound Doctor 911. And so it seems to the great majority of Yelpers who second my judgment about Dave’s company. (805) 200-8554

Have a spot in your heart for Hollywood tradition? Treat yourself and your love-interest to a weekend in Del Mar for the opening of the horse racing season at the nearby Thoroughbred Club. L’Auberge Del Mar is again hosting their glorious Bing Crosby party this coming November 11 from 5 to 11 p.m., replete with big band music in the Living Room bar, where specialty craft beers and Chef Nathan Lingle’s tasty hors d’oeuvres will compete for your attention with the fabulous views and beautiful people. Races begin at 12:30 if you want to press your luck on the nags.

There are a variety of affordable plans for those wanting to attend the party, or perhaps even spend a night or two. All through the racing season, you can also sign up for L’Auberge’s Win, Place, Show Package, a great way to chill, have a few cocktails, get free transportation to and from the track, and even pocket a $150 credit at the 5,000 sq. ft. Spa L’Auberge. Sounds like a recipe for divine forgetfulness from the Sturm und Drang of the political season, doesn’t it?

This one is a can’t miss opportunity to eat, drink and be charitable — the annual LA Loves Alex’s Lemonade fundraiser for children’s cancer research, taking place this Saturday, September 10 from noon till 4p.m. at UCLA’s Royce Quad. Alexandria Scott is the inspiration — her brave bout with cancer didn’t stop her from raising money by selling homemade lemonade, a modest effort that has mushroomed into a cause that has raised $100 million to date.

Celebrity chefs and mixologists love this effort and will be turning out in droves tomorrow — Suzanne Tracht, Michael Voltaggio, Bruce Kalman and Giada De Laurentiis are just a handful of the culinary demigods scheduled to fill the gullets of local foodies. Once-in-a-lifetime auction offerings include one of these fine chefs catering your next dinner party! Children under 12 are welcome free of charge — the rest of us will be happy to pony up the $195 to make our stomachs and hearts feel equally gratified. See you there!

Just a wee heads-up if you are a weekend sack of spuds like myself, vegging out in air-conditioned respite from the relentless Valley heat! Instead of actually golfing, kick back and indulge oneself in DIRECTV’s PGA Tour Experience, an array of content that includes the CBS Sports network feed; the “Launch Pad,” an up close and personal look at explosive tee-shots on the 490-yard 16th hole; the “ShotLink Channel,” a data-driven angle on the competition, and finally, a Featured Group channel where you can follow specific players as they try to conquer the beast known as Bethpage Black, one of the PGA Tour’s toughest venues.

For armchair scholars of the game, Bethpage Black, in Farmingdale, N.Y., is the master work of renowned golf architect A.W. Tillinghast, who also designed Baltusrol and Winged Foot. It has been lengthened to accommodate the New Golf Supermen (and enhanced equipment) to a whopping 7,426 yards — some 700 yards longer than when it opened in 1936. Bethpage has hosted two U.S. Opens in the new millennium, and will also be home to the 2019 PGA Championship and the 2024 Ryder Cup. I’ll have sunk into the couch by then, never to be found again. May the golf gods have mercy on my soul. Fore!

There is generally a vast gulf between the kind of food one expects from the local taqueria and the higher-end Mexican eateries in Southern California, and to be perfectly honest, I generally tend to favor the humble mom-and-pop joints. Easier on the wallet, to be sure, and more often than not, far more authentic than the white tablecloth restaurants at five times the price. A no-brainer, as they say.

Enter Sol Mexican Cocina, a mini-chain (three locations — Scottsdale and Newport Beach, in addition to Playa Vista) that has fused the humble street food of the Baja peninsula with the farm-to-table ethos of the modern chef and produced a menu that is as original as it is traditional. Was recently there for dinner on a jam-packed Saturday night, and was able to leave under my own powers, but not my much! It’s hard to quit eating their freshly made chips and salsa, with or without the jazzed-up guacamole “Sol,” replete with goat cheese, mango, tequila and toasted pepitas. Muy sabroso!

Cocktails are equally alluring — especially the cucumber jalapeño margarita, a striking truce between cool and picante. A beet and watermelon salad with a salted pepita brittle was perched atop a steep hill of crisp arugula, and all were nicely coated with a tangy lemon-basil vinaigrette. Followed that with the shrimp chiles rellenos and the chipotle garlic ribeye steak, which was fork-tender and accompanied by their delicious grilled corn, topped with chipotle salsa and cotija cheese. Again, the balance of sweet and savory was norteño music to the taste buds.

Service was exemplary and beyond efficient, despite the thrum and rattle of a Saturday night dinner rush. The imaginative menu is the handiwork of executive chef and partner Deborah Schneider, a James Beard Foundation nominee for her cookbooks. She is a faithful devotee of all things Baja, and employs a sustainable approach to the culinary arts. An unexpected bonus? Sol Playa Vista is smack in the middle of Runway Playa Vista, a living-shopping-working development in the middle of Googlesville and Yahootown. If you want to see the what tomorrow looks like, take a trip to Playa Vista for amazing street tacos and future shock, all in one visit!

Call me crazy (many have, including certified professionals!), but I am one of those people who hug the cloudy coast during the winter and hie to the desert when the dog days of summer kick in with a vengeance. Prices are down, there are far fewer tourists and — if you plan the day properly — you can manage to hike, play golf or tennis in the cool of the morning, then repair to the pool or spa to pass the sun-drenched afternoons in a leisurely, if not lazy, fashion.

One of my favorite spots in the Palms Springs area is the Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, a trés scenic, 11-acre locale at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains, where between now and Labor Day you can enjoy one of their beautifully appointed guest rooms for a mere $97 per day, which includes a $25 dining credit at one of their fine restaurants. Add to that emolument another $25 credit at the Well Spa, recently voted best in the area by readers of Desert Magazine. And as if that weren’t enough, Miramonte throws in complimentary resort bikes, wellness classes at the spa and access to the 24-hour fitness center.

The resort has recently undergone a $4 million renovation, resulting in upgrades to the guest rooms as well as the capacious grounds, which now feature outdoor fire pits, croquet lawns and a bocce ball court (in keeping with the Mediterranean-themed design). Families are certainly more than welcome, but one of the three swimming pools is designated for adults only, should you prefer to relax to the sounds of nature and not the delightful squealing of hypoglycemic toddlers. P.S., those traveling with quadrupeds will be happy to know the Miramonte has pet-friendly rooms. Woof.

The concierge can assist with golf and tennis reservations, and the location is perfect to explore the desert’s many entertainment and dining options. Now’s the time while the sun burns bright and the offer is one nobody rightly ought to refuse. (Call 800-837-2926 and use promo SUMMER16 to book or go online http://www.miramonteresort.com/)

To we of the sprawling smog-machine they call the City of Angels, San Diego really does look like paradise: everything is proximate, temperatures are ever moderate and the pace is more like Paducah than Paris — etvive la différence! I thought I knew the cozy town pretty well until someone suggested a stay at the 44-acre, bay-front spread called Paradise Point, a name I had never heard uttered before — in vain or otherwise!

Color me ignorant. To regular San Diego visitors, Paradise Point has been a preferred destination for family vacations since film producer Jack Skirball developed the property with some help from his Hollywood friends back in 1962. Located on an island just a seashell’s throw from Sea World, P.P. is spiritual cousin to the defunct Miramar resort in Santa Barbara — a mid-century time-capsule that has retained its kitschy charm whilst updating its infrastructure for modern-day Magellans.

Forty-four acres means loads of dining options, a full-service spa/fitness center and thoroughly unexpected amenities like five championship tennis courts; an 18-hole putting course; five pools (including one for adults only) and 14 bonfire pits on the beach. Not to mention a capacious convention center, and 462 California bungalow-style guest-rooms — premium units are replete with wet bars, microwaves and mini-fridges. The rooms are invitingly casual and funky, not stuffy and pretentious, and 93 of them are right on Mission Bay.

Paradise Point has a wide array of package deals seasonally, including a Sea World offer that includes discounted tickets valid for a week and daily breakfast for two at the waterfront Barefoot Bar & Grill. Better yet, resort guests get to skip long lines at the park and can even sail over to a VIP back entrance via a SeaWorld water taxi. Right now, P.P. has a 20/20 summer package — 20% off your stay and a $20 per day resort credit.

Rent a bike, book a massage, send the young’uns to the Island Adventure Club, or just kick back in full chill mode. And don’t dare leave without trying the sumptuous Sunday brunch at chef Amy DiBiase’s celebrated Tidal restaurant. Warning: you will likely meet many friendly folks here, and are apt to call them your neighbors before the evening sun has settled into the bay. This is a place for real people, not the hoity-toity stiffs you can’t manage to avoid at the tonier boutique joints downtown. (Paradise Point Resort & Spa, 1404 Vacations Road, San Diego, Ca 92109; (858) 274-4630)

There’s a big new kid on the block, that famed, neon-drenched address being none other than the Las Vegas Strip, which has been home to luxury hotels, mirrored pyramids and the Eiffel Tower, but never a freestanding, world-class entertainment and sports venue until now. The T-Mobile Arena is a comely, 20,000-seater that opened a few weeks ago with a gala concert headlined by local heroes, The Killers, not to mention St. Wayne (Newton) himself singing “Viva Las Vegas.” Glad someone has a taste for kitsch and irony over at AEG.

Yep, the same AEG that built the Staples Center is responsible for this state-of-the-art masterpiece. They partnered with Vegas entertainment wizards MGM Resorts to the tune of $375 million and built the kind of all-in venue that might just attract an NHL or NBA franchise at some point. In the meantime, locals will have to make do with names like Garth Brooks and Billy Joel, as well as the Professional Bull Riders Finals and various big-ticket boxing championships and WWE events. All that and SBE’s Hyde Lounge, an 18,000 sq. ft. nightclub on the Arena’s top floor — only in Vegas!

The sight-lines and aesthetics inside the arena are without parallel, not to mention the inclusion of 550 Wi-Fi access points to facilitate ubiquitous Selfie-Uploading at quantum speeds! There are fifty luxury suites replete with high-end food and beverage service; more than two dozen private loge boxes and complete in-house broadcast facilities. The cocktail program is worth more than a passing mention: “Modern Mixologist” Tony Abou-Ganim has been enlisted to dream up delicious craft cocktails like the signature “Atomic Fizz.” He is to libations what Magellan was to sea voyages, a true trailblazer and an undeniably joyful and charismatic gentleman.

As if that weren’t enough of an addition to the southern end of the Strip, there is also an entertainment space and public area dubbed Toshiba Plaza and The Park adjacent to T-Mobile Arena. Not only is this outdoor destination an anomaly on Las Vegas Blvd. (no slot machines or craps tables), it is a wee breath of nature in an area mostly suited to hardball commerce. But, fret not! There are plenty of eating and drinking opportunities here as well, from CPK to Shake Shack and beyond. And all of it a five-minute trek from the nearby Monte Carlo or New York-New York, where you can likely as not park and then stroll over to any of the venues.

Now you have one more good reason to hit the I-15 and head northwest to Sin City, which feels less like a touristic Venus Fly-Trap and more like a bona fide metropolis all the time. Hats off to AEG, MGM Grand, T-Mobile and Toshiba for a stunning opening act!

As most western-states golf veterans know, the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona, is one of the oldest and most venerable properties in the Phoenix area. What you might not know is that pro sports maven and investor Jerry Colangelo and his partners have poured in nearly twenty-five million bucks in renovations in the last five years, restoring the eighty-six year old property to its former glory while retaining its cozy charm and historic Southwestern character.

Set on 440 glorious acres of Sonoran desert, the Wigwam is the only golf club in the state to offer 54 holes of championship golf, including two Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designs that have withstood the ravages of time, while succumbing to wise updates in the name of playability and conditioning. Surprisingly, these are “parkland” designs, with tree-lined, generous fairways and challenging, sloping greens. The Gold Course is the monster, measuring 7,430 yards from the back tees, but plays fairly from the forward tees, which is where you should be teeing it up (assuming you’re not cracking your drives 350 yards like Bubba Watson).

The par 70 Patriot Course checks in at a mere 6,000 yards, but is certainly no pushover with its numerous doglegs and smallish greens. A good short game goes a long way here, as some of the putting surfaces are virtually parabolic, meaning you’d better be able to hit nice high approach shots. The Heritage Course is by designer Red Lawrence and has bigger greens and winds through streams, ponds and sixty-one strategically placed bunkers.

And by all means bring the family as well — the main pool (replete with a water slide) has been redesigned, there is a great championship tennis facility and the spacious rooms have been upgraded, resulting in a nice balance between humble comfort and outright luxury. The Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa is where to go to get the kinks out before a round of golf, and the fitness center is spacious and well-appointed, offering classes from yoga to water aerobics. And there are free shuttles to nearby shopping at the Tanger Outlets at Westgate Thursday through Sunday from 10am till 6pm.

Last but foremost, the comestibles at the Wigwam are truly world-class, which is always a nice surprise at a resort serving so many people. Chef Chris Knouse’s dinner menu at Litchfield’s makes splendid use of local ingredients, including Cedar River Farms beef and Crockett’s Desert Honey. The ribeye is a standout, and so is the Caesar salad, with an egg done to exactly 145.5 degrees, lest you worry about microbes and such. And the Jalapeño Mac & Cheese at the more casual Red’s Bar & Grill is as good as it sounds, as is the watermelon salad with cotija cheese and sweet corn. Sabroso!

With the new year rolling around, baseball spring training is not far off, and the Wigwam happens to be located just minutes from five Cactus League facilities (including Camelback Ranch, where the Dodgers tune up). When the time comes, go to http://wigwamarizona.com/ and look for some eminently affordable resort packages. The Wigwam Resort never went anywhere, but it’s back in a big way.

Any standard-issue American male with a set of sticks in his trunk knows that beer and golf “pair” well on a toasty summer day — as long as you don’t get so hopped up you drive the electric cart into a water hazard. A bottle every nine holes seems to shave a few strokes off my card on a given day — that and an empty Zen-mind free of creditors, petulant pals and a week of super-slo-mo driving across the City of Angry Angels on the way from hither to yon.

The antidote? A quarter tank of high-test and two hours down the 5 Freeway delivers you unto the threshold of what’s become the newly-minted craft beer capital of this great drinking nation. San Diego has always had plenty of great golf courses to choose from, but the emergence of celebrated mega-and-mini-sudseries like Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido gave birth to a movement that now numbers some 115 (!) mom and pop lager-mills, each with its unique spin and array of exotic flavors.

More importantly to we of the gorse-and-heather set, Troon Golf — the most respected name in golf course management — has two great courses within drinking distance of the breweries, making for an irresistible combo weekend for dudes and dudettes alike. Maderas Golf Club is rated in the top 100 greatest public golf courses by Golf Digest and is a Johnny Miller design. Great use was made of the existing terrain, there are some dramatic elevation changes, and the service — from food to course conditions — is always top-notch. All that and 40 acres of wildflowers make for a great day outdoors and in.

Troon also manages the Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, a spectacular Arnold Palmer design with views of the Bataquitos Lagoon and home to the LPGA Kia Classic for the last few years. Located adjacent to the equally lovely Park Hyatt Hotel (formerly the Four Seasons), Aviara can be a challenge from the back tees (around 7,000 yards), but is an eminently playable course with great variety and much visual beauty to be had. Service is on a private club level, with a great locker room and a comprehensive Kip Puterbaugh Golf Academy for swings in need of some fine-tuning (and whose doesn’t?).

Last suggestion: Stone Brewing may be the big news in San Diego craft beer, but do try and stop at a few of the Mom and Pop shops like Rip Current Brewing in nearby San Marcos. Their tasting room is a super-chill space, and their menu of great-tasting libations is ever-changing. I liked the Orange Honey Cream Ale and the Palomar Chocolate Porter especially, but that’s just me! Paul and Guy will fill you in on the history of this great buddy story.

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Who is David Weiss?

A Detroit native, David Weiss fled Motown for Los Angeles in 1978 and began to write for Daily Variety and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, primarily as a music critic with a focus on jazz.

His own music career started soon thereafter, with the surrealistic funk band Was (Not Was), then various gigs as a composer and producer, working with Bob Dylan and Rickie Lee Jones among others.

In a parallel universe, Weiss has been filing golf and travel stories for T&L Golf, Golfweek and The New York Times and is a regular contributor to NPR's "All Things Considered" program, doing stories on music and all things cultural.